An Evening in Mistral
by daccu65
Summary: Team RNJR has reached Mistral. Ruby and Jaune spend the evening together. Some friendship, some humor, some sad memories and some fond ones. Some misunderstandings, some curiosity and some fluff.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Dear Potential reader:_

 _Please know that the characters appearing in this tale are not mine; they belong to Rooster Teeth. This story is not intended to generate profit; it was written for the entertainment I enjoyed in writing it and hopefully, your entertainment in reading. That said, please enjoy..._

* * *

"Go!"

Jaune thrust his sword, unleashing his aura in an offensive attack while keeping his shield in a defensive position.

"Again."

He slashed, again unleashing his aura.

"And again."

A 180 degree spin and another slash.

"Okay, now assuming you aren't cheating...we can take a break."

When he started the long walk across Anima, he would have been gasping for breath at this point. Now, he was only slightly winded, so he had set the recording to rewind here. He no longer listened to her words of understanding at how frustrating the training could be, her compliments of his determination and his progress. The almost confession of...

Ruby hated to interrupt him, especially since her reasons seemed so selfish. Even though he had stopped playing those parts that had to be the most painful, it was still a private moment for him. Whether it was in a moonlit forest clearing or here, under a security light on the loading dock behind the inn's kitchen, he sought some time for himself. Whenever he could find the privacy, he worked to hone his aura basics.

Ruby deliberately stomped on the stairway, making enough noise to let him know he wasn't alone. By the time Ruby had walked down the last of the stairs, he had turned off the recording and had placed the scroll in his pocket. He looked for all the world like a student hunter who had taken the opportunity to do some conditioning drills out behind the inn. Which was the truth, but didn't tell half the story.

"Hey Jaune," the petite younger woman greeted him. The 'hey' had become a bit of a byword for the two of them. Whenever they were about to make an uncomfortable request, or deal with an awkward subject, they started with 'hey'.

"Hey," he replied.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked.

Again, it was a careful approach to an uncomfortable subject. He was fully armored, armed, and sweaty. There was only one thing he could have been doing in the peaceful city.

"Just practicing," he told her, being truthful to the point he was willing to speak.

"I've got a bit of a favor to ask." Their long trek meant that she didn't feel the need to dance around a topic; usually.

He simply raised one eyebrow, waiting for her request.

"Uncle Qrow is out at some bar," she admitted. "I think he's making up for the time he lost while he was poisoned. Either that or alcohol really does cleanse the last of the poison from his organs. Anyway, I wanted to take a shower and I really don't like being in an empty, strange room. I feel so..."

"Vulnerable?" He supplied. She could only nod back.

"Could you hang in my room for a little while?"

"Sure," his sword slid into the sheath and he approached her slowly, waiting for her to lead the way.

"Thanks," she smiled at him. She hadn't been kidding about feeling vulnerable; during their walk across the continent, Team RNJR had been forced to share quarters. Whenever they camped, which was most of the time, either she and Nora bathed in a stream or pond while the boys kept guard...or visa versa. When they could stay at an inn, they usually got a single, large room, mimicking the coed status that Team JNPR had known in Beacon. As much as she was a little shy at first, Ruby had to admit that it had become second nature to her. While their inn here in Mistral was modern, with proper locks on the doors, she felt strangely alone and nervous being in her room by herself.

By the time they climbed the first flight of stairs, they were walking side by side, he walked slowly, not forcing her to hurry. His longer legs ate up the distance much faster than her normal stride. Whenever they were together, he slowed and she picked up her speed, matching paces with each other. It was comfortable how they both made a slight allowance for the other. Soon they were at the room that Ruby shared with her uncle...when he wasn't at some bar. She noted something odd about the door leading into the room that Jaune, Nora and Ren shared but was looking forward to her shower too much to bring it up at the moment.

She took her time in the shower. It felt so good to be able to take take a leisurely one, with plenty of clean, warm water, and thoroughly wash herself down. After that, it felt nice to be able to brush out her hair properly and pull on her pajamas. Feeling more refreshed than she had in weeks, she opened the door to find Jaune sitting in one of the chairs, watching a news program while he polished his armor. Ruby sighed; she sometimes missed the silly and carefree boy she had met on her first day at Beacon. Back then, Jaune would have been more about watching cartoons or comedies. Now, he had become a more serious young man.

"Thanks," she told him. "I know it's getting a little late, but do you mind staying with me until Qrow gets back?"

"I don't think it would be a good idea to go back to my room," he offered a slight smile. "So you'll be doing me a favor if you let me stay here a little bit longer."

"Oh, what's wrong with your room?"

"One of Nora's socks is still on the doorknob," he pointed out.

"I noticed that earlier," she told him. I didn't know that Nora had a problem with foot fungus."

"What?" Jaune was completely confused.

"She's airing out her socks," Ruby told him. "And they must stink, because why else would she put them on the doorknob outside of your room?"

"Ruby..." Jaune rolled his eyes.

"Hey, no offense intended!" She interrupted him. "My dad has to have the worst foot odor on Remnant. He walks everywhere and I honestly think he uses it to his advantage. I mean, if he throws a high kick he doesn't have to land it to put someone out, just getting his foot close to someone's face can leave 'em stumbling away!"

"Ruby..."

"So I can understand," she continued. "I mean, dealing with Nora's athlete's foot, or something like that, can't be easy."

"The sock isn't there to air out," Jaune told her. "It's there to let me know to not go in."

"Why would they want to keep you out of your room?"

Jaune just looked at her, hoping she would figure it out. She was such a bundle of contradictions. She was a better fighter than most people twice her age, yet in some ways she was younger than her sixteen years. A lifetime spent on a quest to be a hero, spent perusing weapons shops and hunters' memoirs hadn't left her with much time to socialize, or even learn the intricacies of how others did so.

Not that he knew much about it, himself.

"The sock on the doorknob is a signal," he finally told her, when it was obvious that she hadn't a clue what he was talking about. "It means that they're...doing something private."

"Like taking care of her foot fungus," she insisted. "Yeah, I can understand why they wouldn't want anyone else around for that."

"It's not foot care!" He finally decided he had to come out and say it...sort of. "Haven't you noticed that Ren and Nora have been a lot more...affectionate...towards each other since we got to Mistral?"

"Well, yeah." Although she had been preoccupied with her uncle's recovery, she noticed that her two friends had been acting differently towards each other, almost like a couple...!

Upon seeing her eyes widen a little, Jaune realized he had finally gotten her on the right train of thought. "The sock on the door is a time-honored way, among young adults, to let anyone outside the door know that it wouldn't be a good idea to go in."

"But you always knock before going in!" Ruby protested.

"The sock means that they're doing something that might...take a couple of minutes to make themselves presentable."

Again, Ruby looked confused for a moment. Then, her mouth flew open, covered quickly by her hand. Her eyes flew as wide as her mouth and her face started to redden.

"You mean, they're over there...right now...and they're..."

It took Jaune a moment to realize why she was having such a strong reaction to this, when he remembered that Ruby was an all-or-nothing kind of person. You were either a good guy or a bad guy, you were either a friend or an enemy, you were either a hunter or a civilian. There as no...half-way...with her, so either Ren and Nora were doing something completely innocent or...

"How far they choose to take it is up to them," he shrugged. "As long as they don't damage the room and cost us our deposit."

Despite her embarrassment, Ruby had to snort at that.

"I guess I didn't think that they might...err...um...just want some couple time," she admitted, blushing even brighter.

Somehow, the last exchange eased the tension a little. They sat in a companionable silence, enjoying the peaceful night. Ruby's complexion faded back to its normal tone and soon she felt comfortable enough to approach another topic she wanted to deal with.

"It was a rough day," she pointed out. "But it could have been worse."

"Yeah," Jaune's mood faded. "I'm glad we were able to...explain things."

Ruby sighed. Last night, team RNJR had spent hours preparing; mending every rip in their clothing, polishing and maintaining their weapons, armor and other kit. Earlier that day, they had presented themselves to the Nikos family and told Pyrrha's parents exactly what had happened to their daughter. It had been emotional; while the couple knew that their daughter had been killed, they didn't have details. They wound up talking for several hours, telling them about her time at Beacon and the lives she had touched. Team RNJR had learned a few things, as well. Namely, they had learned that Pyrrha had written to her parents quite frequently.

"Jaune, were you completely honest with everything you told them today?" Ruby couldn't quite bring herself to meet his eyes.

"I wasn't about to lie to them," he answered, his tone showing that he was offended.

"Sorry," she held up a hand. "It's just that I didn't realize that she was texting her parents about you." Her eyes went wide again, realizing that what she said could have come out wrong. "I mean, I'm not surprised that she would let her folks know about her team, it's just that when you introduced yourself and they said that you were the one she was writing to them about, I..."

Her voice faded off.

"I didn't realize it for the longest time," Jaune admitted, heaving a sigh. "When she kissed me before she went off to face Cinder, I knew. I didn't realize that she felt that way for as long as she did before I looked at a recording she made for me and..."

Now it was Jaune's turn to look embarrassed.

"Jaune, I've watched you train a few times at night," Ruby admitted, her tone gentle. "I've heard the part where she almost said..."

"Yeah," his face was pointed at the floor. The lighthearted banter of a few moments ago was gone.

"She'd be proud of you," Ruby offered, her voice solemn. "You're really come a long way."

It wasn't empty praise. Jaune was much more capable than he had been when they left Patch, and his mind was quick when the claws and fangs were flying. He had somehow realized that the...thing they had to fight before the airships found them, couldn't extend it's arms while moving from place to place. By circling the thing, they avoided taking a beating and were able to inflict some damage on it.

His irritated look and scowl told Ruby that he wasn't really in the mood for such a discussion.

For a few minutes, the two simply sat in silence; Jaune on the chair and Ruby on her bed. They watched some of the news without really paying attention. Ruby was tempted to see if her other two friends had removed the sock so that Jaune could go back to their room and end this awkward encounter...but she still didn't like to be alone in the room.

"Do you mind if I switch to a comedy?" She asked. "I've had enough bad news for one day."

Jaune just shrugged his shoulders and went back to polishing his armor. The show that Ruby found was silly, but that was perfectly fine by her. It had something to do with engineers working for an incompetent and immoral supervisor. Some of the humor was over her head, but she still laughed a great deal. Looking over at her companion, she noted that he must have warmed up, because his hoodie was now off and he was dressed in a tee shirt. He smiled at the screen now and then. Emboldened, Ruby asked him something that she had been wondering about.

"What was it like?" She asked. Jaune looked at her, clearly confused "When Pyrrha kissed you," she added. "I've never kissed a boy."

"Neither have I," he answered.

"I meant...YOU KNEW WHAT I MEANT!" She shouted at him, sending a pillow flying with deadly accuracy at his face. His smirk, just before if vanished behind her pillow, told her that he was making a joke.

Somehow, it didn't bother her that the joke was on her.

"It was wonderful," while there was still pain in his voice, there was a fond memory as well. "It was the only time it has ever happened to me. It felt...great, but knowing that she felt that way made me feel special. "

"You are special," she murmured. Realizing that she had said it out loud, she felt heat rushing to her face and his pale complexion reddened, as well.

"What brings this on?" He asked her.

"I was just wondering," she shrugged. "Some of my friends at Signal were interested in boys, but I never really thought of them as anything more than other students. Whenever there was a dance at Signal, I'd sneak off either to the library, the shop or the obstacle course. I know, that makes me a big nerd."

"No," he disagreed with her. "It makes you a person who knows what she's interested in, and doesn't worry that other people don't always agree with her."

"Yang wouldn't agree with that," she told him. "At least not completely. She said that I had to get out of my shell and make new friends."

"You have," Jaune pointed out.

"Yeah, but she was really excited about the Beacon Dance," Ruby's eyes lowered, not meeting his. "She said she was going to turn heads, but I think she was really excited about getting Blake to socialize with people and...for me to do the same. Instead, I just felt awkward."

"I guess I didn't help," he sighed. "Toasting us as the socially awkward."

"That was one of the fun points," she pointed out. "Then you left to have a word with Neptune about Weiss. What was that all about, anyway?"

"It just bothered me that he was playing with her feelings," he admitted. "She was interested in him and he seemed to be playing her along. That really bothered me and we wound up talking about it. It turns out he's a pretty good guy."

"And he spent most of the evening with Weiss after that," Ruby nodded. "That really made her happy." Suddenly, Ruby's smile became impish. "But the highlight of the night was when you showed up in the dress." The girl started to snicker at the memory.

"Hey!"

Jaune's timing was perfect; Ruby looked up just in time to catch her pillow in the face.

"Hey!" She protested, although she kept the pillow this time.

"You're disrespecting an act of honor," he insisted, his voice all fake, injured pride. "I made a promise, and we Arcs take such things seriously. It was my obligation and my honor to do so."

"And you made everyone's night by doing it," she added. "I've never seen Pyrrha laugh so hard."

Both companions smiled at the memory. There was still some pain at the loss of their friend, but it was mostly fond thoughts, remembering the mostly reserved young woman laughing so hard that she had trouble standing.

"I didn't dance with anyone," Ruby finally said. "Other than my teammates, you and Ozpin were the only ones that even talked to me."

"Sorry," he answered. "I was sort of distracted and..."

"It's fine," she told him. "I liked seeing you and Pyrrha together. I just felt so awkward there."

"Did you want to dance?" He asked. "I would have danced with you."

"In heels?" She snorted. "I could barely walk!" She then sighed. "I just wonder, sometimes, what all the fuss is about and if I'm missing out on something because I'm not all that interested in things that a lot of girls my age are."

"It never seemed to bother you," he noted.

"It never used to," she admitted. "But with all of the towns we've gone through, it doesn't matter if it's a village or a city, I always see people our age paired off. I can't help but think there's something wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you. You just have different priorities. They make you special."

"I don't want to be special!" She suddenly blurted out. "Not always! Sometimes, I just want to be an ordinary girl with ordinary knees."

"Knees?" Now Jaune was confused.

"Never mind," she told him. "It's just that, how many girls my age can say that they've walked almost all the way across Anima, and fought grimm and White Fang. But at the same time, I've never danced with or kissed a boy."

"So we can hit the town after we meet with Headmaster Lionheart tomorrow," Jaune suggested. "There's sure to be a few teen dance clubs. You're a pretty girl, so boys are sure to ask you to dance and if you feel like it, you can..."

"No," she interrupted. "I just feel so awkward about it all! I was hoping that I could...well...try it without making a fool out of myself."

She looked down again, not meeting his eyes. Jaune worked the conversation out in his head, wondering what she was reaching for. Suddenly, his eyes went wide.

"Ruby, are you telling me that you would like to dance with me, so you know what if feels like to dance with a boy?"

"Yes," she still wouldn't look at him. "But I'd like to try...the other thing...as well."

"You want to kiss me, just to see what it's like?"

"I trust you," she mumbled. "So if I do it wrong, you won't tell anyone."

"How can you kiss _wrong_?" He wondered out loud.

"I don't know! But if there's some way to do it, I'll manage it!"

Jaune couldn't help but laugh at that and after a moment, Ruby did, as well.

"I don't want my first kiss to be on a dare or something like that," she told him, once she got over her giggles. "I don't want it to be some boy who kisses me to prove he can. I just want to try it and, well, you're a boy, aren't you?"

"The last time I checked."

"Jaune!"

It was nervous giggles again for a couple of minutes. Jaune got up from the chair and walked to her bed, sitting down next to her. Ruby sat up.

"Okay," he said. "But somehow, this seems like a joke you're playing on me."

"It's no trick!" She protested.

"Fine," despite his joking, she could see that he was nervous, too. In the moment now, she hesitated. Finally, she closed her eyes and leaned in.

"Well, that was a direct hit to my cheekbone," he commented, prompting another burst of nervous giggles from her.

"You can help, you know!" She protested.

"Okay, this time we actually do it."

"Like you mean it," she told him.

"Like I mean it," he agreed.

"But not too much!"

"Ruby! You're not giving me much leeway here!"

Forcing another giggle down, she kept her eyes open this time, leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the corner of his mouth.

"Hey, you didn't kiss back!" She complained.

"No warning!" He shot back. "Give me a chance!"

"Fine, one more try." This time, she grabbed both sides of his face and forced herself to take her time, planting her mouth squarely on his. His arms came up and wrapped around her, his hands resting on the small of her back. Her eyes popped open when he gently pulled her in, then closed as their lips molded together. She didn't really have to maintain the contact for as long as she did, but she felt just fine doing what she was. When she finally pulled back, she left her hands on the sides of his face and he left his arms around her.

"Okay, that was nice," she murmured.

"Yeah," he agreed, breathless.

They sat for a short time, neither one wanting to let go and neither one willing to do anything more.

"Could...I try something?" Jaune finally asked, his voice no more than a whisper. Ruby nodded slightly, not wanting to speak.

He leaned forward, pulling her closer to him and pressing his lips onto hers once again. She closed her eyes as their bodies molded themselves to each other, only to open them wide when his lips parted and the tip of his tongue slid gently against her lower lip. Her moment of shock quickly faded and she relaxed into him again, parting her own lips so that he could continue. Almost without thinking, her hands slid behind his head, holding his face close to her own. When they broke for air, she didn't let him go.

"Where did you learn that?" She asked him, breathlessly.

"Well, maybe my older sisters discussed their dates a time or two," he told her, gasping to catch his own breath. "And didn't realize that I was listening."

She giggled at that, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his chest. "Did you learn anything else?" She asked, after a couple of deep breaths to control her breathing.

Suddenly, he turned red. "Nothing that I'm about to do, or even talk about, here!"

Ruby giggled again, answered by his own. How could this be so wonderful, yet so funny at the same time?

"Does that little trick work both ways," she finally asked him.

"There's one way to find out."

It was a corny line, but she didn't care right now. She took the hint and pulled his face down to hers once again. This time, he parted his lips, allowing her tongue to explore his upper lip. The sensation of her tongue on his lip was every bit as heady as his tongue on hers had been. She slid her tongue further into his mouth, brushing gently against his teeth. She had a shocked moment when his tongue met hers, but she quickly relaxed once again, as they gently twirled them around each other. Unfortunately, even fit young people have to breathe occasionally, so they broke contact once again and gasped for air.

"Maybe we should slow this down," Jaune suggested.

Ruby didn't answer with words, but the dismayed look on her face must have taken care of that.

"I mean, you had never kissed a boy before and I had only been kissed once," he explained. "And here we are making out."

"This isn't making out," she protested. "We're vertical. Making out is horizontal!"

"Where did you learn that?" A touch of a smile was on his face again.

"I borrowed one of Blake's books."

"She loaned you one of those sort of books?" His eyebrow rose

"She...might not have known that I borrowed it,' she admitted. "But that doesn't matter! I read the definition so I know what I'm talking about! Making out is kissing when you're horizontal! _Necking_ is kissing when you're vertical! We're necking!"

"No, we're arguing," he pointed out.

Ruby quickly rectified the situation, pressing against him again until the need for oxygen finally forced them to separate.

"Maybe you're right," she admitted, her voice a little shallow. "We're kind of getting caught up in the moment here."

"I'll see if Nora and Ren have taken the sock off the doorknob," he offered.

"But Uncle Qrow still isn't back," she told him.

"I never thought you'd be scared to be alone."

"I'm not scared!" She snarled at him. "I just don't _like_ being alone!"

"Sorry," he apologized, pulling back from her.

"No, I shouldn't have snapped like that." She reluctantly let her hands drop from his shoulders. "But why don't we just hang here and watch a movie or something until he gets back?"

"It's fine my me," he agreed, standing up.

"We can chill out here," she patted the bed. "That's not getting out of hand, is it?"

"I don't think so," he kicked off his boots while she found a show that looked interesting. They lay down on her bed, side by side. Her eyes flew wide when his hand found hers, but she quickly laced her fingers his, enjoying the feeling.

"Is this going to make things awkward?" She asked him, after they watched the action flick for a few minutes.

"It depends if this was just for now," he answered, after a moment's thought. "Or if you want us to be...well...more than friends."

"What do you want?" She asked.

He took a deep breath and braced himself. She was the first friend he had made a Beacon, someone who backed every decision he made. Was...this...worth risking their friendship?

"I'd like to try," he told her. "It might be awkward and it might destroy our friendship...but it might be worth it."

"Good," she nodded, looking very satisfied with herself.

"So, why don't we try something more on line with a date?" He suggested. "After our meeting with the Headmaster tomorrow, why don't we look up some weapons shops?"

"That doesn't sound like a normal date," she pointed out.

"We're not normal people," he answered. "One of my sisters said that if you do something you like, and you like it more with someone with you, then that someone is special to you. Don't you want to check out the local shops and see how their weapons are different from those in Vale?"

"Of course," she told him.

"So, we hit the shops. Afterwards, we can find a dance club and see if you like dancing with boys."

"Or with one boy," she suggested. "I have another idea."

She hopped off of the bed, walked to the desk and picked up his hoodie. Since he wore it under his armor, as padding, it was sweat-stained and worn in places. However, it was clean and smelled mainly of the detergent he used and faintly of his sweat. With what she hoped was a charming smile his way, she pulled it on.

Of course, it was way to big for her. It hung on her like a mini-dress and the sleeves were so long that her hands weren't visible...but it felt nice to wear it.

"Didn't you say this was getting a little tight on you?" She asked him.

"A little," he agreed.

"So while we hit the weapons shops, why don't we look for a new hoodie for you," she suggested. "One more your size? Then, I can have this one."

"Uh, Ruby? You know what it means when a girl wears a boy's hoodie, don't you?"

"Yeah," she felt a little bashful, but she managed to meet his eyes while she returned to the bed and lay down next to him again. She had no intention of taking off her new piece of clothing.

There was no more necking, or making out that night. They held hands and lay next to each other, watching the movie. Part way through the feature, Ruby noted that Jaune had fallen asleep. She was happy; she knew that he hadn't been sleeping well and the fact that he could relax so completely next to her gave her a warm feeling. Soon, her own eyes grew heavy.

She didn't make it through the entire show.

The sound of the door slamming open woke both teens.

"What's going on in here!?"

Both Ruby and Jaune rolled off of the bed to confront an angry Qrow.

"I leave for a few hours and the two of you decide to do this?" The older man slurred at them.

"Do what?" Jaune was clearly confused.

"Oh no!" Ruby gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

"What?" Both Jaune and Qrow looked at the girl.

"When I saw Nora's socks on the doorknob, I thought she was airing them out," Ruby explained. "It seemed like a good idea so I hung my stockings on the doorknob. I never thought to bring them back in!"

Jaune suddenly looked horrified, while Qrow actually smiled at this.

"You didn't know what socks on the doorknob meant?" He shook his head, an action that left him swaying. "Yang hasn't been teaching you very well!"

"I asked Jaune to stay with me while I waited for you to get back from the bar!" Ruby snarled at her uncle. "We were just watching a movie!"

"And how did you wind up in his hoodie?" He asked, although he sounded a great deal less belligerent than he had a moment ago.

"It's getting too small for him," Ruby answered. "And it looked like it might be comfortable for me!"

She pulled off the apparel in question, demonstrating that she was wearing her pajama top underneath.

"I don't know," Qrow drawled at her, a mischievous smile showing on his face. "Are you sure you weren't in here making out?"

"WE WERE NOT MAKING OUT!" His niece shrieked at him, all injured dignity. "WE WERE NECKING!"

Jaune face-palmed while Qrow suddenly turned to him, his expression going from amused to angry in a moment. As the older man shoved him bodily out of the room, he realized that dating Ruby would mean risks far beyond those he could have foreseen. If Qrow was reacting like this, imagine what Yang would do! Fortunately, Nora's sock was off of the doorknob, meaning that it was safe to return to his room. He reached for it, then paused. After a moment, he knocked on the door before going in. His boots and hoodie were still in Ruby's room, but it didn't seem like a good idea to recover them yet tonight. Instead, he crawled into his own bed and wondered what he had just gotten himself into.


	2. Chapter 2

Nora Valkyrie knew that she wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. Well, she could probably be if she wanted to, but she didn't see the need. She liked her life simple and straightforward, no wondering about odd goals and convoluted plans. As a result, she really didn't think very much of the fact that when she herded Ren and Jaune out of their room and towards the dining room, the blonde boy didn't have his armor or his boots. She chose to not wonder about it, deciding that he had had enough of lugging the heavy metal around and that he had his own reasons for padding, stocking-footed, to breakfast.

She quickly forgot about Jaune's unusual attire when they reached their goal. Taking charge, she quickly ordered coffee and pancakes for everyone, including the absent Ruby and Qrow, then settled in to enjoy what she always considered to be the best reason for waking up. Before long, a plate of the disc-shaped treats was on the table and she had a stack of them on her own plate, dripping with butter and syrup and heading for her mouth. That's when Ruby and Qrow showed up, piquing her curiosity.

Qrow was his usual self...not drunk yet and seeming to be grouchy about the fact. However, he had a hard look for Jaune. Ruby, on the other hand, drew Nora's full attention. First of all, she showed up carrying Jaune's armor, boots and his hoodie. That was odd enough. When she dropped these items off directly behind the blonde boy, she placed a hand on his arm, and he placed a hand on hers. The two shared a gentle smile, then both blushed slightly. Okay, that _really_ had Nora's full attention. The gestures seemed very affectionate, almost...

Qrow cleared his throat, destroying the moment. Ruby took her seat, next to Jaune, claimed a couple of pancakes, and alternated between eating and poking at her scroll.

"Alright," the older hunter told the younger students. "There's been a change of plans. Headmaster Lionheart's schedule is full, so he doesn't want to meet with us yet today." Qrow's expression told his audience what he thought of that. "I have some...old acquaintances that I want to look up, so I'm going to be gone all day. What are the four of you going to be doing in the meantime?"

He delivered this last remark with a pointed look at Ruby and Jaune.

"I wanted to check out some weapons shops," Ruby told her uncle. "I'm still good for ammunition, but you always told me to top off my load at every opportunity."

"That's a good idea for us, as well," Nora chimed in. "None of us use standard rounds, so we're going to have to have them custom made. It's a good idea to get the order in as soon as we can."

"Okay, that makes sense," through his bad mood, Qrow seemed to show some approval. "What about after that?"

"I'd like to see if this new app comes up with something for me," Ruby told him, finishing working on her scroll. "Then I thought we'd scout out a training center. I'd like to take one day off, but then we better work out; you told me that we need to keep moving forward."

"Yeah, as hunters," Qrow gave her and Jaune another pointed look. "Not necessarily in other aspects of your life. Okay, it sounds like you're going to keep out of trouble. Call me if anything comes up."

With that, Qrow got to his feet and stalked out of the dining room.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby called after him. "You didn't eat anything!"

"I'll get something while I'm on the move!" His voice wafted back to them.

Shrugging, Nora returned her attention to her pancakes, but noticed that Ruby and Jaune seemed to lean towards each other during the remainder of the meal. There were a lot of sly glances between the two of them, which had Nora well beyond curious. Finished, she was about to ask what was going on when Jaune spoke to Ruby.

"What new app are you working on?" The blonde asked her.

"Something I downloaded this morning," she answered. "Dad never talked much about his family life; I mean the family he had before Yang and I. Uncle Qrow said something about him coming from Anima. Well, this morning I found an app that's supposed to check records and find information about people...birth records, medical records, that sort of thing. I'd like to see if I have family here."

"Xiao Long is a Mistralean, rather than a Vale, name," Ren mused. "It is very possible he's from here. I may have to track down that app sometime and check my own family history."

"So, the two of you..." Nora began.

"We'd like to hit some weapons shops," Ruby quickly said. "And Jaune could use a new hoodie. He's outgrowing this one. Also, I think he's close enough to being a huntsman that he can customize it, personalize his family crest and make it his own."

"That's not what..." Nora tried to say.

"Those are good ideas," Ren interrupted. "Why don't we see what we can find?"

As much as it irritated Nora to not be able to ask just what was going on between her two friends, the idea of being up and moving appealed to her a great deal. Before long she was chiding Jaune to hurry up as he pulled on his boots, hoodie and armor. The hoodie issue had her curious again, as Ruby handed it to him almost reluctantly and yet another sly glance passed between the two. However, Ren took Nora's hand for the walk to the business district, so she quickly forgot about Ruby and Jaune.

Ruby was, of course, incredibly happy to dig through the weapons shops. As Ren had said earlier, none of them used standard caliber rounds, so they had to place special orders. Ruby was quickly enamored by some of the unusual effects the weapons masters in Mistral had developed, as well as disappointed that some of the rounds she was used to purchasing in Vale weren't available here. There were no gravity rounds to be bought, but she gladly put in orders for fog rounds. Of course, the younger teen had to look through every shop she could find, almost drooling over the various implements used to pierce, cut, bludgeon and other less-than-polite effects. The four also debated how they could go about giving Jaune some sort of ranged capability with his weapon, but couldn't come up with any good ideas.

Finally, they reached a clothing store that specialized in supplying hunters. Nora admitted that the community she was striving to join had a certain amount of vanity...or maybe it was just pride. Pride that you can back up wasn't arrogance, after all. Anyway, huntsmen and huntresses liked to personalize their possessions; coming up with a personal symbol that would, hopefully, become known far and wide. If the hunter came from a prestigious family or were part of a famous team, that personal symbol would reflect the association. The Schnee snowflake was very well known...although it wasn't universally respected. The twin crescents of the Arc family had once been famous. Even Yang based her personal symbol, the flaming heart, on her father's own symbol.

"I really haven't accomplished anything," Jaune pointed out, when they were looking into his new hoodie. "So there's nothing to use to really personalize my family symbol."

"The twin arcs are nice," Ruby told him. "But you have accomplished things! You fought in the Battle of Beacon and you crossed Anima and reached Haven."

"I couldn't have done it without all of you," he pointed out; then his eyes grew wide. "Maybe that's it! Could I put your symbols between the points of the inner arc?"

"I would be honored," Ren told him, and the others agreed. Fortunately, the store they were in at the time had a tailor with artistic talent. Soon, Jaune placed an order for a new hoodie, which bore the Arcs' nestled crescents. Between the points of the inner arc were a shield shot through with a spear, a lotus flower, a hammer shot through with a lightning bolt, and a red rose. The store owner assured him that the customization would be done the following day.

"Offer to pay him more if he will let you keep the pattern," Ren told his friend, as the four teens left the store. "It is customary for huntsmen to display their symbols on as many of their possessions as possible. By retaining the pattern, you will be able to customize other clothing, as well as other possessions, in the future."

"It may seem like vanity, but it's really pride," Nora assured him. "By the time we're done, grimm and bandits will run away from that emblem."

"And once your new hoodie is done, I get the old one," Ruby reminded him.

"Ruby, you know what it..." Nora tried to ask her younger friend.

"Boy am I hungry," Ruby interrupted, and Nora was forced to agree.

They had been so busy with the various shops, and finding a training facility, that they had skipped lunch and it was now dinner time. Speculations of just why Ruby had Jaune's boots, hoodie and armor this morning were forced out of the orange-haired girls head; curiosity about Ruby knowing what it meant when a girl claimed a boy's hoodie were also dispersed by a single, primordial thought...

FOOD!

For Nora, when it came to food, quantity trumped quality. She didn't need a fine dining atmosphere or delicate seasonings; when she was hungry, she wanted food and a lot of it. Fortunately for the team, they had spotted several noodle counters during their wanderings and Nora, who usually kept track of the nearest source of nourishment, led them directly to the closest one. Soon, large bowls of noodles were in front of each of the teens. While Ruby and Nora dug in, Ren and Jaune divided their attention between their meals and their scrolls.

"Whacha workin' on?" Nora asked Ren, once the edge had been taken off of her hunger.

"I am trying to download the app that Ruby is using to locate possible relatives in Mistral," Ren explained. "I must confess that I am unable to locate it."

"Uncle Qrow found it for me," Ruby told him. "Here, let me send it to you."

For some reason, the app would not cross-load from Ruby's scroll to Ren's.

"There must be some sort of security feature," Ruby shrugged. "I'll have him load it on yours when we see him again."

"Thank you," Ren offered his typical, polite nod.

"What are _you_ working on?" Ruby asked Jaune.

"I was checking out dance clubs," he shrugged. "After what you said last night, I thought you'd like to try it."

"What's this?" With her immediate hunger satiated, Nora was getting curious about other issues again.

"Last night, while you and Ren were occupied..." Jaune began, prompting a blush from both Nora and Ren. "Ruby pointed out that nobody had danced with her at the Beacon Dance. I thought it might be nice if she'd have a chance to try a few moves out."

"Ohhh! I love dancing!" Nora suddenly embraced the younger teen. "Me and Renny will show you how it's done, then you can cut some moves if you feel like it!"

Ruby looked a little less than enthusiastic about the development, but she was overwhelmed by the older, but shorter, girl's excitement.

"We've got a little bit of time!" Nora crowed. "We'll find a casual place, so we don't have to find proper suits and dresses! We'll hit another clothing store and get you and Jaune some proper shoes, rather than your boots, and we'll get a nice shirt for Jaune! Me and Ren will be fine the way we are! Oh, it's going to be so much fun! Eat up everyone, we have a dance to go to!"

Ruby tried to glare at her tall, blonde companion but Nora was such a bundle of energy that she just couldn't get a dirty look in. Jaune at least had the decency to have a slightly guilty look as the overly friendly girl urged the other three to finish their meals, then herded them to a clothing store. Before long, Ruby had a pair of light, comfortable shoes while Jaune once again owned a pair of high-topped sneakers. Jaune also had a button-up shirt that Ruby had to admit looked nice on him. As soon as the purchases were made, Nora herded everyone back to their rooms.

"I didn't want company for the dance club," she whispered to Jaune, while Nora was a few steps ahead of them, babbling something about music to Ren.

"I couldn't think of a story to tell her," Jaune whispered back. "And I'm not about to lie to my teammates, anyway."

Ruby had to admit that she had asked Jaune what he was doing, and it wasn't exactly wrong of him to tell Nora the truth. In fact, he was being discrete by avoiding telling Nora that Ruby had never danced with a boy and really wondered what it was like...not to mention the little discovery session they had last night about kissing.

Ruby blushed a little, wondering how Nora would react to finding out about that.

Fortunately, Nora seemed fixated upon dancing and nothing else. As training hunters, the teens would carry their weapons with them, but Nora insisted that Jaune leave his armor at the inn, put on his new shirt and that both Ruby and Jaune wear shoes rather than boots. Soon, they were on the way to the dance club and Ruby admitted that she was feeling a little nervous about maybe making a fool out of herself. It turned out to be unfounded anxiety.

The four teens claimed a table at the club. Jaune and Ruby dropped off their weapons, where Nora kept an eye on them, while Ren and Jaune took Ruby to a relatively quiet corner of the dance floor and showed her a few dance moves. To Ruby's surprise, the other patrons of the place didn't laugh at her; they all seemed to realize that she was nervous and gave the three their space. After several minutes of practice, Ren nudged the other two out towards the middle of the floor.

It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't a disaster, either. Ruby and Jaune danced close to each other, with him occasionally taking her hand while she pirouetted, or taking her into his arms for a twirl or dip. It wasn't as embarrassing as she had feared it would be; the music was lively and she found herself enjoying the experience. After a couple of songs, Ren cut in while Jaune returned to the table. A couple more songs and Ruby left the dance floor so that Nora could join Ren. Ruby sat next to Jaune and got a lesson in just how lively dancing could be, when Nora was on the floor.

"So, are you enjoying yourself?" Jaune had to raise his voice for Ruby to hear him.

"Yes!" She answered. "Do you want to go back out once Ren and Nora are ready for a break?"

Before he could answer, a local teen showed up and asked Ruby to dance. She wondered for a moment, but Jaune waved at her, encouraging her to dance with him. She accompanied this other boy onto the dance floor and found that she enjoyed dancing with him almost as much as dancing with Ren, which was almost as much as she enjoyed dancing with Jaune. She danced a couple of songs and took her leave, returning to the team's table to find that her teammates were all present, with a pitcher of a soft drink and four glasses. Nora poured her a glass while Ruby took her seat.

"So, what do you think of dancing?" Nora asked, while Ruby eagerly drank.

"It's fun!" The younger girl declared. "I kind of wish that I had been a little more outgoing at the Beacon Dance."

"Never worry about what could have been," Ren told her. "Just learn and grow. If you enjoy dancing, then dance and don't worry that you let opportunities pass by."

Ruby considered the wisdom of that statement as she finished her drink and the four chatted a little about what they had been through and their plans for the immediate future. Now rested, she decided to not let an opportunity pass her by, got up, grabbed Jaune's hand and pulled him back onto the floor. They danced for three songs before returning to their table and allowing Ren and Nora to dance some more.

As the night wore on, the four often sat together, talking about things other than their mission to reach Haven and their quest for answers. They were just four young people enjoying each other's company and being social with others their age. On several occasions, boys asked either Ruby or Nora to dance and while Nora politely pointed out that she was with Ren, Jaune encouraged Ruby to dance with other boys. While Ruby enjoyed doing so, she was a little puzzled, thinking that she and the tall blonde were working towards being together-together. It was after Nora almost manhandled Jaune towards a local girl, asked her if she would like to dance with the boy, then practically dragged him to the floor that Ruby asked her slightly older friend about it. Nora got a very knowing, and satisfied look on her face.

"If you only dance with Jaune, he's all you've ever known," Nora explained to her, while Ren was getting snacks and drinks. "But if you dance with other boys and still want to dance with him, it means that you've chosen him."

Ruby thought this one through while watching the boy in question as he danced with the local girl, who seemed to appreciate both his moves and his humor. Making up her mind, she intercepted him as he left the floor and asked him to dance a couple more songs with her. After that, she asked him to step out the door with her to catch a breath of fresh air.

"I've really enjoyed this," she told him, when they were a short distance from the nearest bystanders. "But it's going to be back to work tomorrow and I'd...well..." she was blushing but determined to say what was on her mind. "I'd kind of like to take up where we left off last night."

"Irritating your uncle?" Jaune asked.

Ruby was ready to smack him when she realized that it was a joke...and she found it both funny and accurate.

"I'd like that," he told her, a very simple statement that meant a great deal to her. Hand in hand, they returned to their table to tell Ren and Nora that they were calling it an evening and heading back to the rooms.

"Oh, we'll be along before too much longer," Nora assured them. "We've learned to enjoy ourselves whenever we can. We'll all have to do this again, when we have the chance."

Both Ruby and Jaune agreed with her before leaving the club and walking back to the inn. As much as they were trying to act casual about everything, they were both walking rapidly, anticipating having some time to themselves. However, as much as she was anticipating getting some time alone with him, she was a little unsure of how to act once they were alone. She could wade into a fight without a second thought, but this? This was something that had her nervous, even as much as she wanted it.

As soon as she closed and locked the door behind her, it became obvious that Jaune was just as anxious/reluctant as she was. He approached her almost hesitantly, like he wasn't sure if she was going to hit him. Somehow that reluctance, the sudden and sure knowledge that she had somehow put him under the same spell that he had cast on her, took a great deal of her nervousness away. When he bent down to kiss her, she threw her arms around his neck and latched onto his mouth. Startled, he straightened and she held on, being pulled off of her feet. His arms wrapped around her waist and her legs wrapped around his, supporting her weight.

He seemed as surprised by the development as she was; but both accepted the situation, standing there and kissing for several minutes before he must have realized that they would be a great deal more comfortable sitting. Ruby giggled as he backed further into the room and sat on the bed. Her giggles quickly faded as she had better things to do, like kissing the young man who was underneath her. She didn't know if it was an intentional move on Jaune's part or if she became a bit overenthusiastic pressing herself against him, but he suddenly laid back on the bed and she found herself laying on top of him.

Okay, so _this_ was making out! _This_ was what all the fuss was about! His hands were caressing her back from her shoulders to her waist while their tongues dueled with each other. She didn't see how it could get any better until he broke off from her mouth and, hesitantly, started to kiss her neck. She giggled again but soon gasped, arching her back and lifting her chin so that he had better access. His hands settled lower, cupping and caressing her rump.

It was wonderful! It was stimulating! It felt so _right_!

Her scroll buzzed.

She ignored it. Instead of answering, she kissed Jaune's neck to see if he had the same reaction that she did. She felt a great sense of both relief and satisfaction when he gasped and tilted his head back, letting her work on it some more.

Her scroll buzzed again.

"Do...you...think...you...should...answer?" He managed to ask.

"Let it go to voice mail," she murmured.

"It could be important," the break in the action had allowed him to regain some of his wits.

" _This_ is important," Ruby insisted.

Her scroll buzzed again.

" _Fine!_ " She snarled, rolling off of him and digging the offending piece of technology out of her pocket. She turned her back towards him and opened the device.

"The app says that it found something about my family!" She was suddenly much happier with the young man. "Look here!"

He slid up behind her and looked over her shoulder, wrapping an arm around her waist. Ruby found it difficult to concentrate on her scroll, but somehow managed.

"It says that Taiyang Xiao Long was a resident of Windhaven," she read. "His family used the Vale tradition of naming children, giving him his father's last name while his sister took his mother's last name. It says that he had an older sister who moved to one of Vale's outlying cities a few years before he left to attend Beacon. It doesn't say much more about her."

"What does it say," Jaune asked, nuzzling just a little at her neck.

Focusing her attention again, Ruby read, "just that her name was Corazon."

"My mother's name is Corazon," Jaune giggled a little. "She doesn't talk much about her past. Anyway, if your father took his father's last name, what was your mother's last name?"

"Hmmm..." Ruby looked through the file a little more. "Ah! Amarillo."

"Just like my mother," Jaune gasped. "If that's the same person, that means..."

The two looked at each other for a long moment, a horrified expression slowly crawling onto both of their faces.

"Aaaargh!" Both screamed and rolled away from each other, jumping off of the bed and to their feet. For some reason, they just couldn't bring themselves to look at each other.

"Maybe...I should just go to my room," Jaune suggested.

Ruby just nodded, then swallowed and forced herself to speak. "I...think I'd like to be alone for a little bit."

Jaune nodded and, without an additional word, stumbled through her door. Closing it quietly behind him, he fled next door, to the room he shared with Nora and Ren. He didn't notice Qrow, who was watching him with a bemused expression. The blonde fumbled with his scroll to unlock the door then stumbled inside. He sat on his bed and stared, unseeing, at the wall for several minutes. Finally, his flesh began to crawl so he jumped to his feet, tore off his clothes and rushed into the shower. Once there, he scrubbed savagely at his body until he finally slumped to the floor, the water still rushing over him.

* * *

Qrow waited a few minutes after Jaune vacated the room he shared with his niece before he knocked on the door. He could hear water running in the room, and soon water started to run in the room that Jaune had gone to. Smirking, he knocked slightly louder but didn't get a response. Shrugging, he unlocked the door and went in, noting that the bathroom door and light were on. Inside, Ruby was brushing her teeth, with a horrified expression on her face. The girl's hand was moving that Qrow suspected she was using her semblance.

"Ruby, what's going..." he began to ask, only for his niece to spit out the toothpaste and stare at herself in the mirror.

"Not strong enough," she murmured. Suddenly, here eyes widened as something occurred to her. She brushed by her uncle and ran to the closet where they kept their laundry supplies. Qrow's eyes flew wide as he saw what she grabbed, and his huntsman's reflexes allowed him to catch her before she did anything rash.

* * *

While Nora wanted to give her two friends a little privacy, curiosity simply wouldn't let her stay at the dance for very long. Ren in tow, she marched through Mistral's streets on the way back to the inn. She was giddy...even for her. Could Ruby and Jaune be falling for each other? That would be incredible! Both Ruby and Jaune had been crushed by Pyrrha's death, so maybe they could find some happiness by finding each other.

That, and they were a cute couple.

When she and Ren reached their rooms, she could hear Qrow's voice in the room that the older huntsman shared with Ruby, while she could hear the shower running in the room she shared with Ren and Jaune. Nora frowned at this a little, as she had been hoping that Ruby and Jaune would be keeping company with each other. Shrugging, she unlocked her door and stepped inside, only to note that the bathroom door was open. A quick glance around showed that Jaune's clothing was scattered around the room and he was sitting on the shower floor, motionless. Throwing her usual respect for his privacy aside, she charged into the bathroom, pulled the shower curtain to one side and turned off the water. Now looking at him directly, she could see that he was sobbing.

"Jaune?" She asked him. "What happened."

He looked at her, his lower lip trembling. Gradually, she became aware that he was stark naked.

"Nora, perhaps you can wait outside while I try to make him presentable," Ren suggested.

With a numb nod, Nora left the bathroom and found a seat on a bed, wondering what could have happened to shake up Jaune so badly. From the bathroom, she could hear Ren encouraging Jaune to dry off and wrap a towel around himself. After a few minutes, Ren guided the bigger boy out of the bathroom and had him sit on another bed.

"Jaune?" Nora asked him. "Did something happen between you and Ruby?"

"I...we were...and then..." Jaune babbled. Suddenly, his eyes flew wide and he stared at his hands as if they were powerful grimm. "I GROPED MY OWN COUSIN'S BUTT!"

"They're not clean enough," he continued, staring at his hands. "How can I wash away..." Suddenly, he looked up again, his eyes flying wide with realization and determination. "The kitchen!" He said, and than he was up and running out of the room.

"Jaune, get back here!" Nora shouted at him, as she and Ren gave chase.

* * *

Qrow heard the commotion out in the hall, but it took him several more minutes of talking to his niece before he had assured himself that she wasn't about to do something extremely foolish. Once she had settled down, he stepped into the hall to find out what had happened with the rest of her team. He left the room just in time to see Ren and Nora forcing Jaune, who was clad in only a towel around his waist, back to their room. Getting tired of the struggle, the short girl grabbed him around the waist, hoisted him onto her shoulder, and carried him the rest of the way.

Qrow came to the conclusion that being hauled around like that, in these circumstances, didn't do the blonde boy's dignity or modesty any good.

"What happened to the kid?" Qrow asked Ren.

"It..." Ren began.

"You're not getting by me until you get some clothes on!" Nora's shout sounded from inside the room. "Once you're ready to be reasonable, I'll let you out!"

"It appears that Jaune and Ruby had developed certain romantic feelings for each other," Ren stated. "And were acting upon them when they discovered that they were cousins."

"So what was happening out here?" Qrow asked, admiring the kid's composure.

"Jaune decided that he should boil his hands," Ren's voice and expression betrayed neither alarm nor humor. "We chose to forcibly prevent him from doing so."

"Yeah, my niece decided that it was a good idea to brush her teeth with bleach," the older man told the younger. "I've gotten her to calm down and see some reason. You'll manage to do the same with your friend." He turned to return to his room.

"I find it most curious that this discovery only occurred after the two developed this new interest in one another," Ren stated, causing Qrow to turn back around and face him. "Furthermore, I find it even more curious that despite searching every available server, I have been unable to find the app that informed Ruby of this relationship. Finally, I find it highly suspicious that Ruby was unable to direct load this app from her scroll to mine."

Damn! Of course, he had known that the kid was a bit of an intellectual.

"Just how likely are you to share these suspicions with your teammates?" Qrow asked him.

"That depends upon why such an app would have provided such information, at such a time."

Okay, the kid was definitely on to something.

"Well, let's just say that the app was something I...sort of put together," Qrow admitted.

"And the reason?"

To give the kid credit, he sounded honestly curious, not angry.

"Kid, you've probably realized that my niece isn't a half-hearted sort of person," Qrow explained. "She is either all in, or all out. She has a real hard time grasping the concept of restraint and she's never had a boyfriend."

"Ahh..." Ren offered a slight smile. "You had concerns about their ability to set limits."

"Believe it or not, that's not the issue," Qrow admitted, pausing to take a healthy draw from his flask. "If the two of them just wanted to burn off some tensions, I wouldn't have had any problem with it. But like I said, Ruby doesn't do things partway; she was forming a really strong attachment."

"If you have concerns about Jaune taking advantage of such feelings, I can assure you..."

"That's not it," Qrow interrupted. "If he had been a scoundrel, it wouldn't have been so bad; sort of a lesson for her to learn. No, the problem is that he's a good kid, just like her."

"And honorable people entering into relationships with each other is a bad thing?"

"Not usually," Qrow shrugged his shoulders. "There's just too much taking place right now. We're facing a murderous adversary who already has one of the Seasonal Maidens' powers; she's working for something that wants to destroy humanity, and we're dealing with allies that aren't acting the way that they should. Now, if either of those two were the type that would just grab what comfort was available and move on, I wouldn't have done anything about it. We don't need more complications at this time and trust me kid, this sort of thing always brings complications."

Ren nodded. "I believe that I will keep my suspicions to myself. However, I am curious to know if they will ever learn that the app Ruby utilized is somewhat less than reliable."

"Once we're done with this current mess," Qrow told him. "And I'm on a mission between the kingdoms, and won't be within ten miles of Ruby, Yang or Taiyang for at least a month, I'll think about it."

* * *

 _A/N:_

 _For some reason, I just couldn't help but put a second chapter onto this tale. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope everyone has a great 2018!_

 _Best wishes to all;_

 _daccu65_


	3. After the Battle

"Look, guys, I really appreciate it but you don't have to do this."

"It's our pleasure," Ren told Yang, while he worked at the stove. "The shared meal seemed a very bonding experience when you and Weiss showed up to rejoin Ruby, so why shouldn't you invite Blake back with in the same manner?"

Yang couldn't argue with Ren's logic. After driving Cinder's forces away from Haven, they were all more than a little strung out, and wanted to catch up with what Blake had been up to after Beacon fell. Ruby's RNJR teammates, with help from Sun, had decided that Team RWBY needed a night in, to themselves, to catch up and reform their bonds.

"Ever since the two of you arrived here, we haven't had any down time," Jaune pointed out, as he came into the kitchen to scoop up several bowls of rice. "We haven't had the chance to sit down and talk about...things." With a slight frown, he was back out of the kitchen, to deliver the food to the table.

"Besides, now I get to show you guys my town," Sun added, as he slipped into the kitchen and grabbed the kettle that Ren had been working on. "Okay, I only spent a semester here, but I learned of a couple of cool places to hang out."

Ruby, who had just walked in from her room, frowned at that. She then chided herself for her reaction even as she carried the teapot and cups out to the dining room table. With everyone working, the table was quickly set for four. It looked quite a bit like the table did when Yang and Weiss and unexpectedly showed up; it was just this time, there were only four places and there was fish included in the food.

"Blake's on her way," Yang announced, putting away her scroll while walking into the dining room. "She's coming with Ilia, so shouldn't we set five places?"

"Nah..." Sun told her. "We all agreed, this one is all about Team RWBY, so Ilia's coming with us to check out Mistral. Besides, she really doesn't like humans all that much, so I'm hoping that having her hang with some cool ones will change her mind a little."

"Oh, you know some cool humans for her to chill with while we're all here?" Yang asked him.

For a moment, Sun looked puzzled by the question. Understanding, he snickered and looked at the friends who would be accompanying him tonight. Jaune had a look of pained resignation, Ren grinned slightly, allowing that Yang had landed a shot, while Nora looked both highly offended and ready to take things to a physical level.

"I got cool people with me, right now," the faunus boy told the blonde brawler.

"Well, if Sun says we're cool, then I guess we're cool." Jaune smirked at Yang.

"I'd say...diverse," Weiss corrected him, although her slight smile and giggle told everyone that it was all in fun.

"Whoa, since when does the ice queen joke around with us?" Nora taunted in return.

"Since I missed all of you," Weiss answered. "Don't worry, I've had about my fill of all of you, so I'll be back to my old self in no time."

"Even joking about yourself," Yang commented. "We're really rubbing off on you."

"I thought this was Team RWBY vs everyone else!" Weiss protested.

"Nah..." Yang shrugged. "I think it's a free-for-all."

"Okay, I know that Sun is going to take Jaune, Nora, Ren and Ilia off to have fun in Mistral while we catch up," Weiss pointed out. "But what about Qrow and Oscar?"

"Uncle Qrow said that he had to make arrangements to get us to Atlas," Ruby told her. "With General Ironwood closing the borders, we're going to have to get in...well...less than legally."

"And Oscar is worn out," Jaune added. "He said something about how Ozpin was drained from all the fighting he had to do, and it spread to him. He's asleep but don't worry, we left him a bowl of food."

"So it's just a matter of waiting for Blake," Yang announced.

"Yeah...I think I'll wait outside," Jaune declared. The blonde boy slipped out to the practice yard. Seeing everyone engaged in conversation, Ruby went outside and joined him. She found him leaning on the rail, staring out over the city as evening closed in.

"Hey...Jaune," she greeted him. He didn't turn, but shifted slightly. They had been teammates long enough for her to recognize the invitation to join him at the rail.

She also leaned against the wooden structure, trying to find something to say. Somehow, she knew that he was struggling with the same issue.

"So, where do you think Sun is going to take you guys tonight?" She finally asked.

"He's keeping it a secret, but I'm expecting something kind of wild. He has an odd sense of fun." Jaune's smile was a little forced, but Ruby had to snicker a little bit at the truth of the statement.

"Think you'll hit any dance clubs?" She asked him, then immediately regretted it.

"If he takes us to one, I think I'm going to be a wallflower," he sighed. "I don't think I'm quite ready to be social after..."

"Yeah," she agreed. "With Yang and Weiss showing up, then the big fight at Haven, we really haven't talked about..."

"I know," he heaved a sigh. "Ruby, I shouldn't be this upset about it. We're cousins, so we should be happy, even if we can't..."

"Yeah," she rested her chin on her hands, which were resting on the top rail. "I should be happy about it. I mean, I always thought it was just me, Yang, dad and Uncle Qrow. I should be really glad that I have cousins...oh no!"

"What?"

"I never told Yang!" Ruby gasped. "I've never had the time."

"Well, that can be a surprise to pull on her tonight, while the four of you are catching up," he suggested. "Or, you can wait and we can tell her together."

"I'll try to let her know tonight," Ruby told him. "But still..."

"Yeah," he agreed, his shoulders visibly slumping in the fading light. "But maybe it's better this way."

If he had been a grimm, her eyes would have probably incinerated him. Still, she looked both upset and shocked.

"I've never had a girlfriend," he explained. "But I have five older sisters, and most of them have had boyfriends. It was always the same; when they broke up with a guy, they weren't friends anymore. Well, maybe after a few years passed they were able to be civil...but none of them liked being around an ex...after he became an ex."

"So you think we would have broke up?" She asked him, sounding a little hurt.

"I've never had a girlfriend," he repeated. "And I usually screw things up the first time I try them."

"I guess that makes sense," she sighed. "I mean, some of the girls my age back at Signal had boyfriends, but they never seemed to last very long. I just thought, after all we were through together...it just made sense."

"Maybe it would have worked," he shook his head. "I just wish we would have found out the truth a little earlier."

"I'm glad you insisted I answer my scroll," she pointed out. "If I had just let it go...well..." She blushed furiously, unable to say any more.

"Are you thinking that we would have known each other an awful lot better than we do right now?" Jaune too, was blushing.

Still unable to speak, she could only nod. Both sighed.

"So maybe it is just as well," she finally said. "We kind of didn't think of limits."

"And now we realize that...well...hormones can get the better of us." He agreed. "Still, it tanks."

"Yep!" She agreed. Before she could say anything, she heard loud and cheerful greetings from inside the house. "Blake must be here," she said. "We don't want them to come out looking for us."

"Yeah," he was clearly as reluctant to move as she was.

After a short pause, they turned to each other and shared a hug, clearly regretful about what couldn't be between them, but happy that they were still friends.

"...like I was sayin', the rest of us can have a big reunion tomorrow," Sun was explaining, as they returned to the house. "Right now, it's all about Team RWBY having a chance to reconnect. Sure, there's a lot of work to do and a lot of hard decisions to make, but let's take some time to ourselves."

"That...sounds nice," Blake told him. She looked at those who were going to be with Sun for the evening. "Be safe, everyone. Sun has some very strange ideas about what is entertaining."

"Everyone's a critic these days," the young man in question grumbled, but everyone could see that it was all in good humor. Without any further delay, Sun rounded up his charges for the evening and herded them out of the house. That left Blake looking at her teammates, wondering if they were a former team or not.

"Well, why don't we get something to eat?" Ruby suggested, after the silence had gone on for an uncomfortable time. "Ren sort of outdid himself, so it would be a shame to let it get cold."

"Good idea," Weiss agreed. "Youngest first."

Ruby gave Weiss a hard look, trying to find an insult in the statement but Weiss seemed curiously focused on her, but yet not paying attention. Confused, Ruby took a seat and Weiss moved quickly to the one across the table from her. Suddenly, Ruby understood; Weiss had just forced Blake and Yang to sit across from each other, where each would have to face the other.

"So, Blake," Ruby started the conversation, while scooping some noodles from the kettle. "The rest of us have already told each other what we've been up to since Beacon, so why don't you start this out by telling us what's happened to you?"

It was an innocent suggestion, but it forced first Blake and Yang to face the goliath in the room. Perhaps it was the best thing to say, because Blake had to describe her feelings, looking at her friend and partner, missing an arm because someone from her past had come back.

"That's my greatest nightmare," the faunus girl told Yang...and by extension the others. "That my past wouldn't catch up to me, but to anyone close to me. Somehow...in the back of my mind...I knew that Adam and Sieena had the wrong idea...that attacks against innocents were wrong but I was blind. I idolized and desired Adam so much that I wouldn't let myself see that he had become a monster; at least until the was going to blow up that train and the crew. By then, it was too late, he saw me as one of his and he wouldn't just let me go. If I hadn't become one of his inner circle, the White Fang might not have attacked Vale, Yang wouldn't have..."

"It's not you," Yang told her. "Adam did this. And Cinder, and Salem."

"Just like it wasn't General Ironwood's fault that the robots attacked civilians," Weiss added. "Cinder did it."

"But you don't understand!" Blake protested. "Adam came after me! Yang, he hurt you because he wanted to make me suffer! If I hadn't made those mistakes in the past..."

"You didn't swing the blade!" Yang interrupted her. "I don't blame you for my arm; but I do blame you for leaving!"

"I...couldn't face you," Blake told her.

"Your leaving hurt me more than anything else could have..."

"I'm so sorry..." Blake began, but Yang interrupted her.

"Weiss talked me through this," the golden-haired girl told her partner. "And I understand that you were feeling guilty. I can understand...a little...but don't run off like that again! We're supposed to be a team!"

Blake could only drop her head in shame.

"But it's okay now," Yang assured her, reaching across the table to pat her hand. "We've all made mistakes and we'll work through them. The three of us have already told each other our stories, so how about yours?"

It was that simple; things were almost back to normal between Blake and Yang. There was still tension, but Yang was able to sit back with Ruby and Weiss as Blake told about what she had done after the fall of Beacon. As she spoke, she became less hesitant, telling about the ship with the friendly captain, the sea serpent attacking and Sun showing up and helping her fight it off. She told about how her parents welcomed her back with open arms and Sun wouldn't let her shut him out of her life. She then told about the attempt on her parents' lives, and how it made Ilia realize that Adam's way wasn't the right one. She chuckled about Sun 'getting even' with Ilia by pinching her arm, then described the rapid training the Kuo Kuana Police, as well as such trained people available, were able to provide the volunteers.

"I wouldn't want to put them up against huntsmen, or even soldiers," Blake told her companions. "But they were able to form a shield wall and work in conjunction with the Mistral Police against the White Fang."

"You made a big difference," Ruby told her. "If you hadn't shown up, with the volunteers, Adam and the White Fang would have been able to come into the school and turn the fight against us. Instead, you came in and helped us win."

"And Sun finally taught you not to push your friends away, even if they get hurt by helping you," Yang pointed out.

"Yeah," Blake agreed. "But what about the rest of you?"

"I think Ruby's had the most interesting time," Weiss pointed out.

The youngest of them then told her story, about sneaking away from home with the remains of Team JNPR and crossing both Sanus and Anima, mostly on foot. She told them about trading their fighting ability for goods and services along the way and finding the destroyed village of Shion. She told them about fighting Tyrian in Oniyuri, being over-matched and saved by Qrow. Then, the desperate attempt to save Qrow that culminated in the fight in the ruins of Kuroyuri.

"We have a long way to go," Ruby told the others. "I didn't realize how capable Uncle Qrow was until he fought Tyrian to a standstill, after the creep clobbered all four of us."

"But your friends stood with you, didn't they," Yang asked her sister. "When you needed them, when your team was scattered, there they were."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed. "But now I think Weiss has to tell her story."

While Weiss didn't have many tales of battles, she told about her father collecting her in Vale and taking her home to Atlas. Once there, it became clear that her father simply discounted what she wanted to make of herself and insisted that she become the perfect figurehead for the Schnee Dust Company. She told about the charity concert, losing control of her semblance and nearly causing an obnoxious woman to be injured...or worse.

"That was the final straw," she told her teammates. "After that, I knew I had to get away from my father."

She then told about training while setting up her escape, fleeing the mansion and paying a pilot to smuggle her to Mistral. She told about the lancers attacking, being captured by the Branwen Tribe, rescued by Yang and then reunited with Ruby and what was left of JNPR.

"I realized that I couldn't keep sitting back and watching bad things happen," she concluded. "I shouldn't have returned to Atlas with my father. I should have _made_ the pilot assist the first airship that called for help. Well, I've learned my lesson; no more watching while these bad things happen. From now on, I'm doing something!"

There were a few moments of silence as the team all nodded to each other. They had taken the path to become huntresses because they wanted to make a difference.

"Well, I guess it's my turn," Yang decided. As Blake was already feeling guilty, she didn't describe waking up in Vale without an arm. Instead, she talked a little about her struggles to adjust to life without her arm and her reluctance to put on the robotic appendage. She told them about Dr. Oobleck and Professor Port visiting her father, which prompted her to move on with her life.

"Port's afraid of mice?" Blake couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

"Apparently," Yang winked back. "But as soon as I stepped out of the house the next morning, dad dropped everything and started to work with me," she told them.

"Well, if you don't mind me saying so, you three have great parents," Weiss told them. "I think your fathers could challenge each other for the title of 'Remnant's Best Dad'."

"Yeah, I never appreciated him enough," Yang admitted. Impulsively, she lifted her teacup. "To family!"

Blake repeated the toast and clicked her cup to Yang's. Weiss didn't repeat the toast, but raised her cup, as well. Ruby also lifted her cup, but her toast of "yeah, family..." caught the others' attention.

"Are you mad with dad?" Yang asked her sister. "that toast seemed a little weak."

"I...found out that we may have more family than we thought," Ruby answered.

"What?" Three voices demanded.

Taking a deep breath, the younger teen plunged forward. "Yang, has dad ever told you much about his past? I mean, when he was a boy?"

"Not much," Yang shrugged. "He said that he came from Anima; and I think he came from inside Mistral, but I got the impression that his family was involved in some things that he wasn't exactly proud of. It could have been smuggling, extortion, or even multi-level marketing."

Even Weiss, whose father cut corners on employee safety and paid faunus workers in company script, gasped at the implication that her friends' grandparents could have done anything so dastardly.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed. "Well, after we got here, Uncle Qrow loaded an app onto my scroll that linked into the Mistral City online archives and searched birth records. It turns out that dad came from Mistral and he had a sister."

"Really," Yang gasped. "We have an aunt?"

"Yeah, it's Jaune's mother."

"Whoa," Yang smiled widely. "Vomit-boy's our cousin?"

"Please don't call him that," Ruby quietly requested.

"Doesn't he have four sisters?" Yang asked.

"Seven," Ruby corrected her.

"So we have eight cousins!" Yang hugged her sister, lifting the smaller girl from her feet. "It's not just us, dad and Uncle Qrow anymore! Doesn't Jaune's family live in Vale?"

"Uh, a smaller town, but in the kingdom."

"So we can visit them when we get back!" Yang shouted. "An aunt, another uncle, cousins! Isn't that great?"

"Yeah...great," Ruby didn't show the same enthusiasm that Yang did.

"What's wrong with Jaune being our cousin?" Yang demanded. "You're already friends, doesn't being cousins make it even better?"

"Yeah...I guess," Ruby's tone and expression didn't match her words.

"I don't understand you," Weiss declared, staring intently at Ruby. "Why aren't you happy to be Jaune's cousin?"

"I am happy!"

"You don't act like you are," Blake pointed out. "Are you embarrassed to have him as a cousin?"

"No!"

"Then the only reason that you'd have a problem with him being related to you would be if...you...wanted..." Weiss trailed off, her eyes suddenly going wide and a hand covering her mouth.

"What..." Yang wondered, only for her eyes to suddenly fly wide, as well. "Ruby, were you getting the hots for him?"

Ruby couldn't answer; she started to blush and refused to meet anyone's eyes. After several, endless seconds, she realized that the room was perfectly quiet and all three of her teammates were staring at her. With massive effort, she managed to look at Yang. "Well...sort of?"

It was still quiet for several more seconds.

"So, you're not all going to laugh at me?" She asked.

"Getting feelings for a tall, blonde, blue-eyed guy who has grown up a great deal and with whom you've been through some difficult and dangerous times isn't something to be embarrassed about," Blake finally told her. "It's a little cliche, but not foolish."

"Did you let him know?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah," now Ruby couldn't meet anyone's eyes again.

"Just how?" While Yang's face held a touch of humor, her tone was deadly serious. The blonde girl picked up her teacup while waiting for her sister to answer.

"I was...well...mumfplt," Ruby mumbled.

"What?"

"I was kind of...well...we were..." Ruby stammered.

"Just spit it out," Yang demanded.

"FINE! I WAS MAKING OUT WITH HIM WHEN MY SCROLL WENT OFF AND I FOUND OUT WE WERE RELATED!" Ruby yelled.

The teacup in Yang's hand shattered, while Blake sprayed the sip of the warm beverage she had just drawn into her mouth. Weiss dropped her chopsticks, although she absentmindedly continued to try to scoop up a morsel of food and wound up wiggling her fingers over her plate.

"You're not gonna clobber him...or me...are you?" Ruby asked her sister.

"I'm not sure," Yang growled. "Who's idea was it to make out?"

"We both decided!" Ruby growled right back. "So there's no reason to break his legs!"

"I'll decide that," Yang declared. "Just how did the two of you wind up doing that?"

"We had gone to a dance club with Nora and Ren," Ruby told her. "And while the dancing was fun, after a couple of hours I wanted to take up with what we had been doing the night before."

"What?" Yang's eyes were very wide now. "You made out with him twice?"

"Sort of," Ruby admitted. "After we got here and Qrow got better, he was off at some bar and I didn't feel right taking a shower in a strange room by myself, so I asked Jaune to come over. After that, I didn't like being alone so I asked him to stay, we started talking and I told him that I had never danced with a boy or kissed a boy so I asked to him if I could kiss him to see what it was like."

"That actually worked?" Weiss asked her partner.

"Weiss!" Yang shouted at the interruption. "I'm trying to figure out if I'm going to have to deck Jaune or spank Ruby. I don't need these distractions!"

"Hey!" The platinum-haired girl protested. "I don't have a boyfriend and I just want to know if that line works to break the ice!"

"It worked," Ruby reported.

"Don't get distracted!" Yang commanded her sister. "Just say what happened next."

"After we got the hang of it, I really enjoyed it and he was the one that said we should stop!" Ruby told her sister. "He said we were getting out of control and that we should slow things down."

"Okay, he just avoided a pummeling," Yang told her. "So, you're a little upset that he can't be your boyfriend?"

"Being with him really felt right," Ruby told her sister.

"It always does," Blake interrupted. "But Jaune's a good guy, so being a little disappointed is understandable but can I give you a little bit of advice? Boys will come and go, but family is forever. Keep in mind that he'll always be your cousin."

"I guess I should," Ruby admitted. "But still..."

A sudden glimmering of reddish light interrupted Ruby. A flickering hole, surrounded by red light, seemed to appear in the air.

"That's one of mom's portals!" Yang declared, as all four young women sprang to their feet. Moments later, all were armed and waiting. However, instead of Raven, Taiyang Xiao Long stepped out of the portal, accompanied by Zwie.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Qrow was tired from both the battle and the long day he had just spent meeting with several less than upright folks from Mistral City's lower levels. However, he had accomplished his mission. While many of the huntsmen and huntresses he had known in the past were gone, victims of Leo's treachery, he had also met enough folks who made their lien through...questionable...means. While it was easy to slip out of Mistral, getting into a closed Atlas could be hard. Again, he wouldn't have any problems, but moving a group as large as the one he was with would be with was more problematic. However, he had more contacts now, so it was just a matter of getting to Wind Path and tracking them down. Tired but satisfied, he has just approaching the house he shared with the Beacon students when he saw the familiar glow of one of his sister's portals. Mumbling a curse, he yanked his blade from his back and rushed to the house, only to skid to a stop when he saw Taiyang step through. The portal closed without disgorging Raven.

After a moment's thought, Qrow muttered an even more vile curse, turned, and ran off into the night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So that's what happened," Taiyang told Team RWBY, once everyone had settled down a little. "Raven told me what happened here, but I'm pretty sure she didn't tell me everything. I agreed that my being on Patch would just endanger my students, so I agreed to come here."

"Your mother is correct," Blake told Yang. "We know that Emerald, Mercury and Hazel escaped, and we can be pretty sure that they will report to Salem as soon as they can...if they haven't done so already."

"But why would Salem go after dad?" Yang argued. "There are things I...just don't feel like talking about...so Salem can't know what happened down in the vault."

"I understand," Weiss interrupted. "They're going to report what they saw. They know that Raven, Vernal and Cinder went into the vault. At some time after that, there was a great deal of noise from down below, and the whole building started shaking, like two of the maidens were fighting each other. Sometime after that, you went into the vault."

"And you were the only one to come out," Blake finished. "With the relic. Salem is going to think that you have the relic and one of the maiden's powers."

"Which is why Raven told me I was endangering my students," Taiyang concluded. "Salem's obsessed with the maidens' powers, so she might try to get to you by threatening me, and might try to get to me by threatening my students."

"But if you're in a huntsman's academy, rather than just a combat academy, you'll be surrounded by hunters, huntresses and students more advanced than at Signal," Yang concluded.

"So, I guess I apply to the academy tomorrow," Taiyang shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you think it's that easy?" Weiss asked him.

"I don't have the reputation that Qrow does," Taiyang answered, with a wink. "But I have more than a few contacts."

"Especially since Headmaster Lionheart was betraying hunters," Ruby added. "There are fewer of them around now."

"It's getting late," Yang decided. "Why don't we all turn in and finish this conversation in the morning?"

"But Yang!" Ruby protested. "We need to know more about..."

"We can handle things in the morning," Yang insisted. "When we're all rested up."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sounds of calling birds brought her awake. Opening her eyes, Ruby saw the sunlit ceiling of what had become known as the girls' room. It was peaceful and relaxing. For the first time in months, she had the luxury of sleeping in until the sun was up. For the first time in months, she woke up with Zwie curled up by her feet. Then, she remembered why sleeping in wasn't a very good idea at the moment.

"Dad!" She yelled, startling her dog. She was out of the room a moment later, eager to apologize to her father for sneaking away, looking forward to telling him about her adventures, and really wanting to question him about his sister. In a flurry of rose petals, she rushed to the dining room, to find Yang and Weiss enjoying coffee after breakfast.

"Well, good morning to you, as well," Yang quipped, sheltering her beverage from the gust of wind her sister had just generated.

"Where's dad?" Ruby demanded.

"Already out the door and headed to Haven," Yang told her. "He left about an hour ago and told me to let you sleep in."

"But...I..."

"He also promised to meet up with us again," Yang patted her head. "Don't worry, Rubes, dad's not about to ignore us after he finally caught up to us."

Ruby flinched.

"And he isn't very mad," Yang told her, interpreting her reaction. "Or I should say that he isn't very mad at you. He's mad at Qrow for putting the idea to slip away into your head and letting you walk all the way here as bait."

"Where is Qrow?" Ruby asked. "And Blake, and Jaune, Ren and Nora?"

"Slow down," Yang smiled. "Only one question at a time!"

"If she's asking this fast right now, what's she going to be like after a cup of coffee?" Weiss asked the taller blonde.

"Hey, I'm worried about everyone!" Ruby protested.

"Qrow is still setting up transportation to Atlas," Yang told her. "He sent a text that he was going to Wind Path. Blake went back to spend the night with her parents and break the news to them that she's going to Atlas with us."

"Yay!" Ruby jumped in the air. "The team's back together! What about everyone else?"

"The bunch that went with Sun last night is crashed out in the living room," Weiss answered. "They were too tired and sore to make it to their beds."

"What happened to them?" Ruby gasped.

"Sun's idea of entertainment left them a little...incapacitated." Yang told her.

Ruby jumped to her feet and rushed to the aforementioned room, failing to see the twinkle of humor in her sister's eyes. The curtains were closed in the living room, and the lights were off. In the dimness, Ruby could seen Ren and Nora huddled together on one couch while Jaune sprawled on his belly on another. The faunas girl...Ilia, lay across a chair while Sun sat on the floor in front of another, resting his head on the seat. All of them had cloths of some sort over their eyes and occasional groans of suffering sounded from them.

"What did you do to everybody!" Ruby shrieked at Sun, drawing pained groans and grimaces from everyone.

"Ruby, we are all tired, dehydrated and sore," Jaune grumbled.

"And our ears hurt," Nora added.

"But what did you do?" The younger teen demanded of them.

"Nothing that I didn't do while I was a student here," Sun rasped. "But never to this extent."

"I'm still waiting!" Ruby snapped. "And if I don't get answers, I'm opening the curtains and letting the sun shine in!"

"Okay, okay!" Sun waved a hand, weakly, in the air to protest her threat. "We had a little drinking game...for most of the night."

"What kind of drinking game?" Ruby demanded.

"Combat karaoke," Ilia whispered. "We had to fight and sing at the same time. Then the crowd judged each match. Whoever won the combined combat and singing score had to drink one round. Whoever lost had to drink two."

"What did you drink?" Ruby growled. "Beer, wine, or something stronger?"

"Energy drinks," Nora grumbled.

"What!?" Everyone flinched at Ruby's yelp.

"Ruby, please keep your voice down," Ren murmured. "We have spent a night subjected to bright lights, loud noises, simulated combat...and our adrenal glands were stimulated into overdrive. Jaune took the worst."

"Oh?" Ruby approached her cousin and placed a comforting hand on his forehead. "Got beat pretty bad?"

"No, he won," Ilia muttered. "We were the final two, we were fighting on a log over a pit and I caught his leg with my whip. I pulled him off balance, he fell, straddled the log and hit a high note that no man his size should be able to."

The faunus peeled the cloth from her eyes to glare in the tall blonde's direction. "I beat him in the fight," she declared. "But he beat me by a greater margin with the singing."

"So...why didn't you challenge him to a rematch?" Ruby asked her.

"And guzzle more energy drink?" Ilia shook her head...very slowly. "I had taken in so much caffeine and sugar that I was changing colors faster than a dance-club light. Besides that, he wasn't in any condition to go another round."

Jaune only whimpered slightly as a response.

"We're all strung out," Nora added. "So please, just let us sleep this one off."

"Besides, I just got a call from dad," Yang, who had just entered the darkened room, informed her sister. "He'd like to meet us at the Academy. Why don't you let Soprano-boy sleep this one off?"

"I think I liked Vomit-boy better," Jaune protested...weakly.

"Well, cuz, if you're ready to debate it, let me know," Yang cracked her knuckles, meaningfully.

"Maybe some later time," Jaune told her.

"Cuz?" Both Nora and Sun looked very interested in the term.

"I'll let Jaune explain it to you," Yang smiled at her friends. "Me and Ruby have to meet with our dad."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, where are we supposed to meet him?" Ruby asked, as they stepped onto the now-familiar grounds of Haven Academy.

"He just said to go to the administrative office and ask with the receptionist," Yang shrugged. "You know dad, he likes to surprise us."

"Wow, they really repaired a lot of the damage," Ruby looked pointedly at the wall that Nora had knocked Hazel through. "We're going to need to use a door instead of walking through the hole."

Yang ruffled her sister's hair in an affectionate gesture as they slipped by the workmen that were still repairing the damage, into the reception lobby and approached a young man sitting behind a desk.

"May I help you?" He inquired.

"Yeah, were here to see Taiyang Xaio Long," Yang told him.

"You mean Headmaster Xaio Long," the man corrected her.

"Headmaster?" Ruby asked.

"Whom shall I say wishes to meet with him?"

"His daughters," Yang told him. "Ruby R..."

"Rose and Yang Xiao Long," the man interrupted, although not unkindly. "Headmaster Xiao Long is expecting you. One moment please."

Yang and Ruby stared, confused, as the man murmured into a headset. "The headmaster will see you now," he told them, after a few moments. "He said that Miss Rose knows the way to the headmaster's office."

"Uh...yeah," Ruby agreed.

With a quick thanks to the man, Ruby led her sister towards the office that had once belonged to Headmaster Lionheart. Approaching the door, they both noted that a name board now declared that it belonged to 'Headmaster Xiao Long'. For a moment, both contemplated simply walking in, but they had been through the experience of their own father being their teacher; they knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Sounded from inside.

Opening the door, Ruby and Yang noted that their father was sitting behind the desk, and that Oscar was sitting in one of the guest chairs.

"Uh, dad?" Yang asked. "I know that you said you were going to try to get a job here, but moving right to the top?"

"It wasn't my idea," Taiyang grumbled. "Why don't the two of you have a seat?"

"Professor Ozpin?" Ruby asked the boy. "Did you help dad to get this job?"

"I did not need to, Miss Rose," the older man's voice, coming from the boy's face, sounded weary. "The staff here at Haven was interested in hiring Mr. Xiao Long, as they are short on teachers. While the existing staff was showing the prospective employee's the facility, a rare and dangerous grimm, known as a seeker, was discovered in one of the storage rooms. Your father quickly dispatched the creature and this action, combined with his teaching experience and respectable mission history, prompted him to gain this position."

"Which effectively nails me to the ground, here in Mistral, under a mountain of paperwork," Taiyang grumbled as his daughters seated themselves. "According to Ozpin and Qrow, the two of you are going to be heading to Atlas soon."

"I don't want to leave you again," Ruby told him. "But..."

"But the mission demands it," Taiyang finished for her. "I understand, but I had just hoped that there would be a few more years, and more training, before the two of you had to answer the call."

"I can assure you that they are as safe on this mission as they would be here, or in Vale," Ozpin told him.

"I know the logic," Taiyang countered, his voice rather cold. "And I agree; while they are performing a mission, they are moving targets and not sitting ducks. I don't have to like it."

"No," Ozpin agreed, his voice sad. "I can only assure you that Qrow and myself will make every effort to keep them safe, as will General Ironwood, once we reach Atlas."

Taiyang's answer was simply an annoyed scowl.

"However, we will have a chance to speak at a later date," Ozpin continued, rising to his feet. "You have not been together as a family for several months. I urge you to spend what time you have together, as you never know when you'll be reunited again."

The combination of young boy and old man left the office, leaving Taiyang and his daughters to face an uncomfortable silence.

"Well, life tends to throw some awkward situations at you," Taiyang finally said. "This is one of them. I took a path that my parents didn't approve of, when I was about Yang's age, and had one of these conversations from your side of things."

"I'm so sorry that I left," Ruby burst out. "But...I knew that something might be happening here and Jaune and Ren and Nora wanted answers about Pyrrha and the nobody at home would listen to me and the only clues we had..."

"Were supplied by Qrow," Taiyang finished for her. "He manipulated you, just as Ozpin manipulated the four of us, when we were your age." Taiyang sighed. "Believe it or not, even after all we've been through, I still think that Ozpin has good intentions, but he'll do anything to get there...and Qrow is getting to be more and more like him with every year that goes by. I want the two of you to remember that; the two of them have a goal and it's not your safety. They'll protect you as best they can, but when they need something, they don't care who they're using to get the job done. You need to look out for yourselves."

"That means you're staying here?" Yang asked.

"As much as I hate to admit it, it's the best thing I can do," Taiyang scowled at the thought. "Salem will hear about my new job within days...and might conclude that I'm hiding something...or someone...for Ozpin. It might keep some of the heat she can generate focused here, rather than looking for you."

"Dad?" Ruby asked, determined to get the knowledge she wanted. "Why didn't you ever tell us much about your parents? Were they upset that you became a huntsman?"

"My parents were petty criminals," Taiyang told her. "And they wanted me to take over the fraud schemes they had going. I wanted something more out of life, and they were disappointed...to say the least."

"Are they still around?" Yang asked him.

"I don't know," Taiyang sighed. "Our last parting wasn't exactly on good terms."

"But who did you leave behind, with them?" Yang demanded. "You left your own sister in that life!"

"Sister?" Taiyang was confused. "I don't have any sisters! I'm an only child! My mother let me know, several times, that they had never planned on having me and that she had learned her lesson."

"But..." Ruby was confused again. "I downloaded an ancestry app and it said that you had a sister. That sister turned out to be Jaune's mother."

"Where did you get the app?" Taiyang asked, a sudden look of understanding coming onto his face as he pulled out his own scroll and laid it on his desk.

"From...Uncle...Qrow..." now Ruby was getting an expression of unwanted understanding.

"This might explain a text I got from Qrow," Taiyang activated the large, projected screen.

The two girls read the text, in which Qrow told Taiyang that he had deceived Ruby about her family, but that it was for a good cause. Furthermore, he stated that Tai, of all people, should understand how certain complications could affect a team. While they read, Tai fixed his younger daughter with a very inquisitive look, which had the heat rushing to her face.

"I can only think of a few reason why Qrow would want you to believe that this young man, Jaune, is related to you," Tai told Ruby, after giving the two girls some time to read the text. "But when he talks about me understanding, there can be only one."

Ruby blushed even brighter.

"You told me that this young man was a friend of yours," Tai continued. "I'm pretty sure that you've started to see him as more than that."

Ruby nodded, still blushing.

"And the fact that Qrow did this tells me that you were acting on your feelings."

Blushing even brighter, Ruby nodded again.

You're growing up, both of you," he told them. "Faster than I wanted you to, but I have to accept that you aren't my little girls anymore."

"You're not upset with her?" Yang gasped.

"The two of you have faced life-and-death decisions," Tai answered her. "You've taken on an adult's responsibilities, so I can't really object if either of you decide to...get affectionate...with someone."

Both girls looked surprised at the logic.

"But I'd like to warn you about something," he continued. "Qrow was right. These sort of things always become complicated and they can do a number on a team. I went through the same thing and let me tell you; it can turn a good friend into someone you hate."

"So I shouldn't be doing this?" Ruby asked.

"I didn't say that," Taiyang told her. "This is something you're going to have to decide...along with the young man in question. I just want you to know the risks you're taking, to understand that it could tear your team apart when you need teamwork more than ever."

"So if it's all bad, why aren't you saying to stop?" Yang asked him.

"Because, despite all the heartbreak and problems along the way, doing the same thing gave me the two best things in my life...and they're sitting here talking to me, right now." Taiyang now favored his younger daughter with a stern glare. "You're not ready to take that step...neither of you are...but you might take that step some day. It's up to you to decide if the risks are worth it."

For a moment, Ruby and Yang just looked at each other.

"But I bet you're hungry," Tai told them. "I know that I am. I'm supposed to have a private dining room that I can invite guests to. Why don't the two of you help me find it?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, it turns out that you and Jaune aren't really cousins, after all?" Weiss asked her partner, as Team RWBY, plus Sun, lounged around the house.

"Nope," Ruby answered.

"What's this?" Sun asked.

"Long story," Blake told him. "I'll fill you in later."

"So, are you going to...well..." Weiss stammered.

"I believe that Weiss want's to know if you are going to re-establish a romantic relationship with him," Blake told her team leader.

"I don't know," Ruby admitted. "There's an awful lot going on, so any distractions would be...distracting." She sighed. "By the way, where is he...and Ren and Nora?"

"We worked up a list of supplies we needed for the trip to Atlas," Weiss informed her. "The three of them volunteered to go out and pick them up."

"So, is your father upset that Ruby and Jaune were becoming romantically involved?" Blake asked the sisters.

"Strangely enough, no," Yang shrugged. "He sort of wrote it up to us getting older, gave us some warnings, then said to just think things through before we act. Then, we had a great afternoon with him...some real dad-daughter talks."

"I envy you," Weiss told her. "All three of you. My father isn't much of a dad."

"We're back!" Nora's voice shouted from the front door. "We got it all!"

Any further conversations were interrupted by the need to unpack and organize the supplies that the remainder of Team JNPR had acquired. The sun had set by the time they were finished. Jaune walked out to the practice yard to look over the city.

"Guys, could you give us a minute?" Ruby asked the remainder. "Yang can get Ren and Nora caught up." She left to join Jaune, while Yang quietly filled the others in on what the sisters had learned.

"Hey, Jaune," she greeted him.

"Hey." He turned partially, and unspoken offer to join him at the rail. "Did you have a good afternoon with your dad."

"Yeah," she took a deep breath, but stood next to him. "I...found out something."

"Oh, did you confirm it?"

"The opposite," she told him. "Dad's an only child and Uncle Qrow loaded a bogus app onto my scroll, to fool me into thinking we were cousins."

"Did he hate me that much?" Jaune looked at her, clearly dreading the answer.

"I don't think so," she answered. "He left dad a text that said that these things get complicated and we're in a war right now. So...maybe he has a point."

A momentary look of despair flickered across Jaune's face, but he had matured a great deal during the walk to Mistral. He thought before speaking again.

"Maybe you're right," he finally admitted. "Maybe this isn't the right time to make things more confused."

Ruby frowned, but nodded.

"It really felt nice...and right...to kiss you," he told her.

"Yeah," she managed a slight smile. She turned around and leaned back against the rail. "So, I guess we're still friends?"

"Yeah," he said. "Except for one little thing."

"Oh?"

"Right now, I want to do the right thing, rather than the smart thing," he leaned close to her.

"You too, huh?" She managed to whisper, before their mouths were on each other.

Back in the house, a collective gasp sounded from the remaining teens. Of course, they hadn't actually left to give the two privacy, being far to curious. Yang's eyes bugged out slightly, Nora breathed out a happy sigh while Ren slipped quietly from the room. While Blake remained reserved, she smiled slightly and a faint blush appeared on her face. Sun scowled, but grinned, as he pulled out his wallet, extracted some lien and gave them to the smugly beaming Weiss, who had won their wager.

When Ruby wrapped her arms around Jaune's neck, a very quiet, strangling noise made its way out of Yang's throat. When Jaune lifted Ruby to sit on the top rail, without breaking their kiss, the quiet noise was replaced by a high-pitched squeak. When Ruby's legs slid around his waist, holding the two together, Yang reached for the doorknob.

"Perhaps there is an alternative to violence," Ren noted, returning to the group and carrying a bucket.

"Ren, you're a genius," Yang smiled at him, taking the container.

"Well, I try to think things through," Ren told her, blushing furiously.

Yang didn't notice, she had slipped out of the door and was approaching the distracted pair. By now, Jaune's mouth was on Ruby's neck and the younger teen was holding it there. Ruby's face was directed to the sky, her mouth open with a wide smile her eyes closed. As such, the lovebirds were caught completely by surprise when Yang dumped the bucket of ice water over them.

With a wordless shriek, Jaune stumbled back while Ruby fell on her face. Moment's later, Yang was confronted by two sets of angry eyes; one silver and one blue, glaring at her.

"Go put some dry clothes on, you two," Yang told them, her smile wide. "We need to have a talk."

Growling, but not willing to challenge the blonde brawler, the two stomped off to their respective rooms.

"Did you really have to do that?" Weiss asked Yang. "They weren't really getting out of hand and it was kind of sweet."

"That's my little sister," Yang reminded her. "I want some limits set, here and now."

While Blake remained, with a slight smile on her face, the remainder of the teens decided that it would be a good idea to spend another night on the town...but not at a combat karaoke club...and left the house. Thus, Yang had Jaune and Ruby mostly to herself when they both emerged, now clad in their pajamas.

"Okay," Yang addressed them. "It's pretty obvious that the two of you have decided to pursue this, so I want to make sure that nothing foolish happens."

"Don't you trust us; trust me?" Ruby demanded.

"Not with this," Yang sighed. "We're both our father's daughters, and he really doesn't have a good track record with relationships. I don't want that to repeat with you."

"So why don't we get to talk about you?" Ruby asked.

"Because I'm not the one with a boyfriend," Yang countered. "Before you say anything...yes, the two of you are boyfriend and girlfriend now...so deal with it."

"So what are your limits," Jaune asked.

"It's nothing too dire," Yang shrugged. "I'm just saying...nothing permanent. The two of you aren't ready for certain, possible consequences of what you may do."

"Do you really think we would let it go that far?" Ruby asked. "We've fought the biggest grim we've ever seen, we've faced bandits and Salem's lieutenants, but you don't think we can step back from...doing something physical?"

"Guys, I trust you," now Yang was completely serious. "But you have to admit that the two of you have become very close before getting romantic with each other. This isn't just some little fling, so the two of you could get out of control pretty easily."

"What makes you think that?" Ruby asked.

"Look how far you were taking it outside, with people watching you," Yang smirked at the two.

"Alright, point taken," Jaune admitted. "But I think the two of us have got a grip on things now."

"Okay, but not getting out of control."

"We've got it," Ruby assured her. "Where is everyone else?"

"They went off for a night on the town," Yang told her.

"Good!" Ruby got up and pulled Jaune to his feet. Holding his hand, she led him to the room that he shared with Ren and Oscar. For a moment, Yang could only stare as she led the boy into the room and closed the door behind them. A few seconds later, the door opened, Ruby emerged and, with a harsh look towards Yang, firmly tied a sock onto the outer door knob before disappearing back into the room.

"Good move," Blake commented towards her partner. Although the faunus girl didn't often use sarcasm, she was surprisingly good with it when she did. "They were exploring, in their clothes, out in the practice yard but now they're exploring, in a private room, in their pajamas."

Yang could only shake her head. This was going to be an interesting trip to Atlas.

 _-finis-_


End file.
